Copy-holder



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. L. TWISS. COPY HOLDER.

No. 442,927. Patented Dec. 16. 1890.

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, HZ W/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREEMAN L. TWISS, OF GROTON, NEW YORK.

COPY-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,927, dated December 16, 1890.

Application filed April 30, 1890. Serial No. 350,060. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREEMAN L. Twiss, of Groton, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Copy-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in copy-holders; and it consists in the combination and arrangement of parts to be fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to produce a copy-holder which is provided with clampingplates, which by the movement of a lever can be operated so as to allow the copy to be applied to, removed from, or adjusted upon the support, and which will hold the copy in any desired position, and to provide a guidingplate which, while it can be freely adjusted up and down upon the support, can also be turned back so as to leave the copy free to be placed in contact with the support, adjusted thereon, or removed therefrom.

Figure l is a perspective of a copy-holder embodying my invention, the plates being shown in one position in solid lines and another one in dotted ones. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective taken from the rear side of the support and its attachments.

A represents a suitable supporting-stand, which has an opening extendin g down through its center, and which serves as a support for the other movable portions of the copy-holder. Extending through the side of the top of this stand is a set-screw B, which serves to clamp the supporting-rod O rigidly in position, and thus support the copy-holder at any desired elevation. The upper end of this rod 0 is piw oted to the plate D, which is secured to the rear side of the support F, and which plate D is curved at its lower edge and extends into a suitable slot which is made in the upper end of the rod 0 and is provided with the stop G at its outer corner. This plate D being rigidly secured to the support and being pivoted in the upper pronged end of the rod C, the support can be turned at any desired angle to the copyist that may be preferred. Passing through the side of the upper end of the rod C is the set-screw H, which by binding against the plate D locks the holder in any position into which it may be adjusted.

The support F consists of a metallic plate of any desired length and width, and which is provided with a flange I at its lower end to prevent the copy from sliding off. Secured to the under side of the right-hand edge of this support F are suitable bearings J, in which the shaft L is journaled, and which shaft has the, handle N secured to its lower end, and by means of which the shaft is operated. Secured rigidly to the shaft by means of a small setsorew near its lower end is a triangular cam or eccentric O, which turns with the shaft, and against which the outer free end of the flat spring P bears. This cam or eccentric is fiat upon its top and outer side and curved upon its third side, as shown. turned by the shaft until the end of the spring bears against the rounded side of the cam,the pressure of the spring then serves to keep the shaft in that position with the plates raised out of contact with the support. As soon as the shaft is given a partial turn, so that the end of the spring passes the point or corner upon the cam, the whole pressure of the spring is exerted in returning the shaft to position. Clamped to this partially-revolving grooved shaft by means of the set-screws Q are the two bent arms R, which extend to or near the center of the support at their free ends, and which have pivoted to their free ends the clamping plates S. These plates extend nearly across the support and serve to hold the copy in any desired position against the support F. These plates are pivoted, as shown, so as to adjust themselves to the copy, and thus securely hold it smoothly in position. By loosening the set-screws the bent arms can be made to move the plates into any desired position; also placed upon the partiallyrevolving grooved shaft is a bent sliding arm T, which has a guiding-plate U pivoted to its outer end. The inner end of this rod is pronged, and the shaft extends throughboth of the prongs, as shown, and fastened'by a pin Z to one of these prongs is a plate or washer V, which has a tongue or projection to extend into the slot, and thus lock this hen this cam is sliding arm to the shaft, so as to cause it to turn therewith and yet allow the arm to slide freely up and down for the purpose of adjusting the guiding-plate at any time and into any position upon the copy. In order to hold this plate or washer in contact with the prong to which it is fastened, a spring X is placed between the two prongs of the sliding arm and around the grooved shaft, and one end of the spring bears against the plate or washer, as shown. This spring serves to exert sufficient frictional contact upon the arm and the shaft to cause the arm to remain in any desired position, and thus prevent it from sliding down over the manuscript or book from which the copy is being made. If it should be desired to have this arm carrying the guiding-plate operate independently of the shaft, it is only necessary to remove the pin Z, which passes through the prong against which the plate bears and which has its inner end to catch in a notch in the edge of the plate. This plate or washer being prevented from turning with the shaft by its tongue or projection, which catches in the groove, the arm must turn with the shaft as long as the pin is made to catch in the plate; but as soon as the pin is removed the arm moves independently of the shaft,

The operation of my copy-holder is as follows: The stand is placed upon any suitable support and in any convenient position to the operator, and then the set-screw in its upper end is loosened, and the red C, carrying the copy-holder, is secured at any desired height. The set-screw which clamps the plate I) is also loosened, and the support F is adjusted at any desired angle. It is only necessary then for the operator to partially revolve the shaft by means of its lever, when all three of the pivoted plates attached to the bent arms will be raised away from contact with the support, so that the eopyist can adjust the copy into any desired position. If the lever is moved outward sufficiently far to have the stop Y upon the cam or eccentric strike against the inner edge of the lower bearii'ig or support for the shaft, the shaft will remain in that position, and thus all three of the plates will be held at an angle to the support, so as to leave the eopyist free to use both hands in adjusting the copy into any desired position. After the copy has been adj usted it is only necessary to turn the lever backward, when the two clampingplates will hold the copy at its upper and lower edges, leaving the guiding-plate free to be moved up and down over the copy, so as to show the eopyist the exact position from which he or she is copyin Making the shaft-spring actuated, as here shown, and providing the lower end of the shaft with an operatinghandle, it is only necessary for the eopyist to raise the end of the lever and the two clamping plates, and the copying-plates will be raised out of contact with the copy, leaving it free to be placed upon the support, adjusted into any desired position, or removed therefrom at the will of the operator. The clamping and copying plates, being pivoted to their arms, automatically adjust themselves to any thickness or shape of eopythat may be used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a copy-holder, the combination of the support upon which the copy is placed, a partially-revolving shaft applied to the support, a lever for moving the shaft, arms applied to the shaft, and clamping-plates connected to their free ends for holding the copy in position, substantially as shown.

In a copy-holder, the combination of a support, a partially-revolving shaft journaled to the under side thereof, and arms connected to the shaft and extending outward and bent upward around the edge of the support and extending inward over its outer side, substantially as described.

In a copy-holder, the combination of the support, a shaft journaled on the under side thereof, arms projecting from the shaft and moving therewith, and the pivoted elampingplates attached to the ends of the arms, substantially as set forth.

4. In a copy-holder, the combination of a support, the shaft journaled thereon, a lever applied to the end of the shaft, the bent arms applied to the shaft, and the pivoted clamping-plates applied to the ends of the arms, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the support, the partially-revolving longitudinally-grooved shaft journaled thereon, a washer orplate provided with a tongue to catch in the groove, and a spring, substantially as shown.

6. The combination of the support, a partially-revolving shaft journaled in suitable bearings applied to the support, an eccentric secured to the shaft and provided with a stop, and a spring secured to the support and having its free end bear against the cocentric, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the support, suitable bearings applied thereto, the partially-revolving shaft placed in the bearings, the cam or eccentric secured to the shaft and provided with a stop, the spring, the arms applied to the shafts, and the pivoted plates connected to the arms, substantially as set forth.

8. In acopy-holder, the combination of a support, the partiallyrevolving spring-actuated shaft journaled thereon, and arms carrying plates for holding the copy, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of the support and a grooved partially-revolving shaft to which the arms are applied, substantially as shown.

10. In a copy-holder, the combination of a support, a shaft journaled thereon at one side, arms secured to the shaft and extending inward over the support, and an operating-lever secured to the lower end of the shaft below the lower end of the support, substantially as shown and described.

11. In a copy-holder, the combination of a support, a shaft journaled thereon at one side thereof, arms secured to the shaft and extending inward over the support, and an operating-lever secured to the lower end of the shaft below the lower end of the support and having its free end extending inward, substantially as shown.

12. In a copy-holder, the combination of a support, a shaft journaled thereon, having a longitudinal groove, the arms secured thereto, a sliding guide-arm placed upon the shaft, a washer upon the shaft, having a tongue which engages the groove, and a pin which passes through the guiding-arm into the washer,

whereby it is looked to or allowed to move in- 

